Change of pastor at L.A. cathedral
Father Gallardo leaves, Msgr. Cacciapuoti comes in from St. Bede's

Father David Gallardo had a small confession to make at his last Sunday morning Mass as pastor at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on June 26.

Glancing over at Archbishop José Gomez, the priest revealed his initial reservations on taking the assignment back in 2017.

“I’ve shared this with the archbishop — if I would have known only a quarter of the things I needed to do as pastor of the cathedral, I would have told him no, find another priest,” said Father Gallardo in his closing remarks.

“But I didn’t. I said yes. And it was that yes that enabled me to grow in my own discipleship and as a priest. And I will take those blessings and those gifts and definitely use them as I begin my pastorship at St. Ignatius of Loyola in Highland Park.”

With that, the reins pass this month to Msgr. Antonio Cacciapuoti, who that same day was saying farewell to parishioners at St. Bede the Venerable Church in La Cañada Flintridge, where he has been pastor for the last 12 years.

In Father Gallardo’s case, he actually had the benefit of being able to transition into the role more smoothly. He first arrived at the cathedral in 2016, giving him a whole year of preparation and consultation before taking over for Msgr. Kevin Kostelnik, the cathedral’s founding pastor since it first opened in 2002 under the leadership of Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal Roger Mahony.

“I don’t think I realized how much was involved in public relations and the number of interviews I’d be asked to do,” said Father Gallardo, 64, ordained in 1984. A second-generation Mexican-American born and raised in Santa Monica with English as his first language, Father Gallardo said he had anxiety and stress at first doing interviews in Spanish until he became more comfortable….

The above comes from a July 6 posting in Angelus News.